The Pokémon Company may be Looking to Slow Down Pace of New Releases

More isn't always better. Haste makes waste. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

We've all heard these sayings before, but what do they have in common? And, better yet, what do they have to do with Pokémon?!

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Increased Pace of New Game Releases

It's no surprise games have been getting shipped faster than ever before. Back in the day of "you have one chance" releases - prior to digital downloads - you truly had to have all your bases covered. Hopefully all the game-destroying bugs are squashed by the time the software is finally released to the general public, but smaller things tended to slip through the cracks. For most gamers, we have fond memories of these "bugs" being ways to have fun with the video game and exploit some areas the developers missed. But, with digital gaming, that's no longer the case.

Game developers are able to take advantage of the connected, digital medium to deliver new video games and patch updates faster than ever before. An issue was reported? They'll have a fix patched through in a few weeks (if not days, depending on the severity). It's a blessing in some ways, but a double-edged sword in others.

In a sense, haste has led to waste, particularly for The Pokémon Company.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Release Issues

At the time of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet's release, social media and Youtube were inundated with launch-day videos highlighting bugs, glitches, and other less-desirable gameplay experiences. This not only causes backlash to the Pokémon brand; it can make leadership reevaluate their approach.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Glitches | Image: Nintendo Supply

Recent Remarks by The Pokémon Company COO, Takato Utsunomiya

In a recent interview with Comic Book, The Pokémon Company's Chief Operating Officer had this to say:

"I think, in general, if you look at the past, the path we've taken up until now has been this constant release, always regularly releasing products on a fairly fixed kind of a cadence, you might say. Always having these products able to be introduced and new experiences for our customers, and that's how we've operated up until now. I think we're still operating in a way, but there's more and more conversations, as the development environments change, about how we can continue to do this, while making sure that we're ensuring really quality products are also being introduced." - Takato Utsunomiya, COO of The Pokémon Company.

What This Means for the Future of the Pokémon Franchise

In a positive light, it seems leadership has heard the feedback and are working to act on it. They are aware of issues plaguing past - and recent - releases and will work to preserve a more positive experience from the onset.

Will this actually materialize into something? Only time will tell; however, we're happy The Pokémon Company is looking inward to slow down, reevaluate, and deliver the quality they've been known for in the past.

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